QPS Announces the Acquisition of Xendo Drug Development
Newark
Jul 26, 2010
This European Acquisition Expands QPS' Global Capabilities
QPS Holdings, LLC,
a leading full-service GLP/GCP-compliant contract research organization
providing testing services to support preclinical and clinical research
and development, announced the completion of its acquisition of Xendo Drug Development BV
(XDD), headquartered in Groningen, The Netherlands. XDD, a European
contract research organization (CRO), will be known as QPS Netherlands
BV and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of QPS Holdings, LLC.
With the completion of this acquisition, QPS further expands its global range of linearly integrated resources and services:
Drug discovery and development from preclinical to clinical studies for IND and NDA regulatory submissions.
300
clinical pharmacology beds on three continents - 24 in the Netherlands,
24 in Taiwan and 240 in the USA - one of the world's largest phase 1
site offerings.
Start-up time for phase 1
clinical trials is four to six weeks, compared to several months in
other European countries. Moreover, phase 2 can follow phase 1 without
interruption. Many international pharmaceutical and biotech companies
have conducted first entry into man (FIM) studies in the Netherlands.
This is due to Netherlands' favorable regulatory environment,
streamlined protocol approval process and lower cost of managing trials.
One
of the world's largest capacities in bioanalysis for small molecules
and biologics, with global bioanalysis facilities in the USA, Europe and
Asia.
Complete ADME package for
regulatory submissions from preclinical studies to radiolabeled human
mass balance (including microdosing) studies.
CNS
drug research and development, such as Alzheimer therapy, from patient
stratification, to the clinic, to in vivo imaging, to PK/PD correlation
and efficacy evaluation, with clinical genotyping and specialized
biomarker assay capability to support the pursuit of targeted therapies
and personalized medicines..
XDD has
state-of-the-art large and small molecule bioanalytical laboratories
and a dedicated 24-bed clinical pharmacology unit (CPU) located at
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Established in 2004, this
CPU has performed over 100 clinical pharmacology studies - many of them
first entry into man (FIM) studies - across all major therapeutic
areas. This location provides comprehensive safety monitoring with 24/7
access to hospital-based crash teams and clinical specialists. XDD
also offers an extensive database of healthy volunteers as well as
special and patient populations.
"Pooling our strengths will
enable XDD and QPS to serve our clients even better. Our leading
capability in conducting high quality bioanalysis and phase 1 studies,
combined with our well established expertise in ADME, genotyping and
drug development process will make QPS an ideal drug development partner
for our pharmaceutical and biotech clients worldwide," said Ben Chien, Chairman, and CEO of QPS holdings.
"Joining
the QPS organization enables XDD to realize its ambitions for global
growth. In terms of activities, size and location, QPS and XDD are a
perfect fit. Our combined operations in Asia, Europe and the US position
us ideally to expand our portfolios in the increasingly consolidated
pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, our primary market," said Koos Koops, XDD's former chief executive officer. Koops will head the XDD -QPS Netherlands division of QPS.
"As
both QPS and XDD facilities share the same high standards and customer
service philosophy, this merger will further strengthen our ability to
provide our clients with quality, services, and competitive pricing
worldwide," stated Ben Chien.
About Xendo
Established
in 1999, XDD is a European CRO with extensive experience conducting and
staffing international Phase I to Phase IV clinical trials across a
broad range of therapeutic areas for a wide variety of clients. XDD
employs over 100 people, and provides early & late phase clinical
development, data management, biometrics, medical writing, bioanalysis
and resourcing solutions services. About QPS
Founded
in 1995, QPS has bioanalysis and DMPK facilities at its Newark, DE, USA
headquarters, a laboratory in Taipei, Taiwan, and phase 1 facility in
Springfield, Missouri. QPS has been providing quality services in
regulated and non-regulated bioanalysis (LC/MS/MS, immunoanalytical, and
hybridization-ELISA), DMPK, protein biomarkers, pharmacogenomics and
pharmacogenetics markers, and phase 1 studies to its clients worldwide.